The past decade saw a seismic shift in marketing communications as blogs, podcasts,  online video, and other forms of Social Media led the media evolution. It’s an exciting time. And yet, with this evolution, the focus on “message” has, too often, been lost. In many cases, the over-reliance on new media and technology, has sacrificed the focus on development of a compelling, creatively engaging, message.

The most successful companies and organizations (Apple, Google, Team Obama, etc) work with marketing experts to help them develop and maintain a strong brand message realizing that the media and technology is only a tool — a tool to help them get their important message out.

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You can’t be successful at marketing your business if you don’t take it seriously. It takes focus and preparation. What happens when you don’t?

If you’re really to take your business to the next level with strategic marketing help, visit FMT.

“G-Cred“, a term coined by John Follis in ’05, has become part of the Web 2.0 vocabulary. What exactly is it, and why must every product, service, professional person and business have it? Listen to the interview and read the ADWEEK article.

So, I was on the phone recently with yet another marketing expert promoting yet another marketing seminar. Considering that this expert’s website gave me a big ERROR message when I logged in I was extra curious to find out more about who this genius was. Ironically, her seminar was entitled: “How to Market Your Business.”

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Build Your Brand.

A brand is a product/company personality that helps distinguish it from the competition. It evolves out of the product essence.

A strong, positive brand creates value in the eyes of a customer. So, the better you build your brand, the less you have to compromise on price. But, to be successful a brand has to built on a solid, truthful foundation — whatever that truth is. Apple, Mercedes, Disney, FedEx and Nike are just a few examples.

Lastly, brands aren’t just for big companies. Every big company began as a small company with a clear, positive brand. Our client branding efforts have included a NY church, a local CT school and a vitamin company. And, prior to starting my business, I was involved in the campaign that helped brand an unknown shoe designer named Kenneth Cole.

So, what’s yours? Quality? Service? Price? Whatever it is it’s something that your marketing must reinforce across all communication channels, from business card to TV spot. Even your office space. You can’t brand yourself as a cutting-edge ad agency if your office looks like a law firm. Also, your brand shouldn’t try to be all things to all people. “The best, cheapest, most dependable” is not a strong brand image.

By John Follis / Reprinted from TalentZoo.com 3/31/09

You won’t find “el crappo” in Webster’s, but it’s the exact verbiage used when I was emailed this topic and invited to offer my insight. So, here goes.

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See more clips on “How Blogs and Podcasts can Build Your Business.”

You’re bound to read plenty of articles about how to succeed this year. Some undoubtedly have great tips, but just as many have uninspired, absurdly upbeat ideas that you’ve read a hundred other times. So, I thought I’d mix it up a little with a primer on how to shoot yourself in the foot, create your own problems, and just plain screw up this year.

No, I don’t want you to follow my advice, but these not so gentle reminders will help you avoid some of the most common ways that so many of us fail. Enjoy! (more…)

Don’t trust any marketing firm or person that’s not great at marketing themselves.

I hear it all the friggin’ time: “Yeah, I know my (FILL IN WORD) sucks, but I guess it’s like the cobbler’s children with no shoes. Heh, heh.”

If a marketing “expert” has a lame web site, or a lame business card, or doesn’t carry a business card, or has @aol, @gmail, or @optonline as their email domain, or has no blog, or doesn’t really know what a blog is, or what “Web 2.0″ means, and isn’t on Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn, and has no G-Cred, then he or she should not be calling themselves a marketing expert and have no right to be advising you on your business.